Reports of straps breaking on the Nintendo Wii's remotes have spread across the web faster than paparazzi pictures of Lindsay Lohan. As we mentioned previously, it appeared as though Nintendo had quietly acknowledged this problem, shipping versions of the console in Australia and elsewhere that discarded the weak straps in favor of thicker, more resilient versions.

The big N has now taken a more vocal stance by offering to replace the straps for Wii owners the world over. All Wii owners have to do is fill in
an official strap replacement form
on Nintendo's website. That's it; no need to send in your own straps or anything of the like. Your new straps will arrive, delivered by cartoon plumbers, in 5-9 days. While the move will likely cost Nintendo quite a bit of cash, it's worthwhile as long as it fixes the problem.